Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! The race for the White House is on. Once again, it’s the time for promises, pledges, platforms and press conferences. The candidates’ “White House Wannabes” are revving up and about to tear up the campaign trail. “Shaking babies and kissing hands” is what a friend of mine calls it. My favorite part of campaign season is truth in advertising – or lack thereof. Politicos must think we’re stupid, the way they do the nice tap dancing, sounding firm on issues but yet still not definite on anything.
The movie “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” comes to mind. When the governor of Texas is cornered by the media on what he’s going to do to this “place of ill repute” after an expos by the watchdog report, he breaks into song and proceeds to sing an ode to waffling. My favorite part is when he says the Jews and Palestinians should settle their difference in a “Christian-like manner.” As stupid as it sounds, it makes sense. It’s the epitome of political double-talk. I have not seen much unwavering actions by many of our lawmakers.
Well, in President Bush’s defense, everything else aside, he has stuck to his guns on Iraq. I don’t know if he’s the real decision-maker, though. You hardly see Cheney and Bush together, and you can kind of see Cheney’s lips moving when Bush talks. I saw a ventriloquist drink a glass of water while his dummy talked once.
I know whom I’d vote for. A guy or girl with a solid record on his or her issues – meaning they have taken a stance and have stuck with it. If the agenda was in line with my beliefs, I’d vote for him or her. That’s pretty simple, huh? Good luck finding someone that way. Most politicians go with the party line (for example, the 100-hour agenda). Dems voted for their stuff and Republicans voted for their legislation, and both blocked each other at times.
Too often, the media blasts stories of how this candidate has a “questionable past.” Hell, I don’t think I’d trust someone who hasn’t at least gotten pinched for something before. I mean a politician with a DUI is not that big of a deal. Drinking and driving is wrong, and we should be aptly punished for breaking that law, but there was never a morality clause in the Constitution as a prerequisite for office. The media blasted Barack Obama for revealing he tried drugs in college. What’s the big deal? He admitted it.
I guess as generations become more open to things, stuff like this isn’t a big deal, but the media still uses this tactic of revealing “character flaws.” As long as a politician doesn’t have a problem or isn’t habitual in his actions, then it’s his business. People whisper under their breath about how a couple is splitting up because someone cheated, but let it come out about a politician, and there’s weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Let’s get off our high horse before he throws us off onto our heads.
The bottom line is, we need somebody that knows what we the people need and sticks to it. A person’s record on how he stands on things is what matters to us, not his personal life. During the last election, people were saying that because John Kerry was a veteran, he would be the best person to run the war in Iraq, or that John McCain would be a great at it. First, as a veteran, it offends me when other vets use their status as a vet to trump other politicians. And second, just because you have served in a war doesn’t mean you can run one.
Let’s hope that when we choose our next head of the executive branch, we pick the person whom America needs. I encourage everyone to check out www.votesmart.org. It’s a non-profit organization that merely provides you with politicians’ voting records and other pertinent information. Politicians and candidates also fill out questionnaires that let you know where they stand on multiple issues. Let their records speak for themselves. Try not to focus on superficial things.